Ask the Author: Michael Head
Answered Questions (12)
Michael Head
I don't use a particular software for outlining, just Word. I have a loose overall series outline, and each specific book has it's own more thorough outline. As for the rules, I have a spreadsheet with the entire world laid out. It is all pretty simple, because I am not great with computers, but it works for me. There are over a dozen tabs that cover things ranging from government structure to monster types and abilities, and lots more in-between.
Michael Head
I have no idea. It just popped in my head, I wrote it down, and now I have a cultivator about to throw down against a necromancer in a massive underground cave complex.
Michael Head
My life experiences have been pretty wild, so I have a lot of things to draw from. Especially the battles and fight scenes.
Michael Head
As of the first week of March 2021, I am trying to finish Threads of Fate: Book 4. (working title)
Michael Head
Make a strong series outline. Then make an outline for every book in the series. Now, make a spreadsheet that lays out the laws, rules, and regulations that exist in your world. Now start writing. Don't worry about the fiddly-bits yet, just get words on paper as fast as you can, and don't stop until you hit about fifty thousand words. Go back and edit what you have so far. Fix those fiddly-bits parts, update your outlines, and add any new rules your brain created on the fly. Write the second half of your book, the other fifty thousand words. Do the same thing again with the self-edits and updates. Now, find an editor. Listen to them. Be willing to change things. Ask some beta readers to look it over, and get good feedback from them. Update your outlines and rules one last time. Publish your work, and make sure you pay for marketing. Be active on every platform possible, as much as you can. Don't stop producing content for your readers. Write in more than one genre, but make sure it is a similar genre. (Don't write a horror series, and then a saucy romance. That isn't showing your skill. That's just jarring for your readers. And that's why pen names are a thing.) Rinse and repeat as needed.
Michael Head
I have to say it is the culture of the group I am working with. I am lucky enough to be in a publishing company that does its best to help in every way possible. (You know I am telling the truth, because they will never see this and I am still saying it). Mountaindale Press is absolutely fantastic. Just about everyone understands that a rising tide raises all ships. If a different author drops a best-seller on the market, I am not in competition with him or her. My name and books appear in the back of their books, meaning my own exposure just increased by a large margin. That applies to all of us, meaning we genuinely want to see all of us to succeed as much as possible. It is a really great feeling to be a part of something like that.
Michael Head
Two ways. Outlines are my personal key to success, so I can skip forward a little and write in a different part. The other thing to do is take what I call a 'brain break.' Play a video game, go for a walk, read a book, talk to friends/family, work on a different project, etc.
Michael Head
I answered the door, feeling a good bit of apprehension, considering my wife hadn't messaged me at our usual time. Standing on my front porch was an Army Chaplain and the officer in charge of my wife's unit.
Michael Head
Probably the world of CAL in the Completionist Chronicals. If I die, I get to respawn. I would focus on some kind of paladin build. I know enough about myself that I recognize the 'white knight' syndrome in my personality.
Michael Head
I don't make lists, because I don't track what is coming out. I will say I have about 12 authors that I read the moment they drop a book, but the day they come out is usually a mystery for me.
Michael Head
Each had their own aspect of awesome and suck. Food inspector (68R) was probably the easiest, but it had crazy hours and keeping in shape tended to require a lot of extra work. Truck driver (88M) and Petroleum Supply (92F) were pretty similar, and that is what I did for most of my deployment time. Running convoys and gun trucks was exciting, but obviously dangerous. It was also where I met some of my best friends. Cryptologic Linguist (35P) was probably the hardest mentally, considering the type of work I was doing. The screaming in foreign languages in my ears for 12 hour shifts wasn't fun either, and I had a headache almost every day. I also made some amazing friends there too.
If I could do it all over again, I wouldn't change anything. Those experiences made me who I am today, and besides all the injuries and health problems, I like who I am and where I'm at.
If I could do it all over again, I wouldn't change anything. Those experiences made me who I am today, and besides all the injuries and health problems, I like who I am and where I'm at.
Michael Head
Hi Jonathan! This is a particularly difficult one for me to answer, because I what I would WANT is the Wheel of Time series. However, considering the situation, I would probably go with:
The SAS Survival Handbook
Bush Craft 101
Advanced Bush Craft
The Survival Medicine Handbook
and
The Bush Craft Guide to Trapping, Gathering, and Cooking in the Wild
The SAS Survival Handbook
Bush Craft 101
Advanced Bush Craft
The Survival Medicine Handbook
and
The Bush Craft Guide to Trapping, Gathering, and Cooking in the Wild
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